


A Perfect Month

by fortheloveofpatrochilles



Category: The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Genre: Achilles is a passenger, Alternate Universe - Cruise Ship, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cute, M/M, Patroclus is part of the staff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-13 16:54:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11764284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortheloveofpatrochilles/pseuds/fortheloveofpatrochilles
Summary: A modern au (that no one needed) in which Patroclus is hired on a month long cruise line and Achilles is a rich passenger





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In which Matt (that's me) attempts to write a cruise line fic, something he knows pretty much nothing about (I did some research.)  
> "What are you doing, Matt??"  
> "My best." 
> 
> I have more ideas for this, so if it seems like people like the idea i'll post more chapters (of course I might just post them either way.)
> 
> With that said, Achilles and Patroclus meet in the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Matt (that's me) attempts to write a cruise line fic, something he knows pretty much nothing about (I did some research.)  
> "What are you doing, Matt??"  
> "My best."
> 
> I have more ideas for this, so if it seems like people like the idea i'll post more chapters (of course I might just post them either way.)
> 
> With that said, Achilles and Patroclus meet in the next chapter.

_It’s always a perfect day to go out to sea_. This was something Patroclus’s “captain,” but in reality his boss, would always say during the first early mornings hours when he clocked in for his job on the Royal Phithia Cruise line. The first time he heard this phrase, he could not help but get goosebumps. A first day at sea would make even the cheesiest of comments rather heart-warming. However, by the tenth time hearing it, Patroclus could not deny that it was getting rather annoying. Something about long hours and running from one side of the ship to the other made the word “perfect” seem rather inaccurate. Still, it did not stop him from at least somewhat enjoying his job.

This was the first time Patroclus was working on an actual cruise. Of course, he had previous jobs on much smaller boats, but nowhere near the size nor extravagance of the ship he was on now. He was surprised he even got the job, since his resume clearly stated that his experience on any boats lasted no more than a year. However, he did have a little help to boost his chances. His best friend, Briseis, had been working on the cruise for about a year now, and while that was not very long, she was on friendly terms with most of the crew members. When she brought up the idea of applying, Patroclus was rather hesitant, not knowing if he would be up to the task of working long hours on trips that could go on for months. By the time Briseis and he were boarding the cruise the day before it sailed, his hesitations had practically vanished.

The Royal Phithia Cruise line was known for its exciting and extravagant Mediterranean Sea trips. This cruise in particular would be taking a month long journey throughout the Mediterranean, as advertised. Patroclus was pretty excited to see all the sites, even if his view was limited from the upper decks of the ship. 

By the evening of the 15th of June, the day before the ship took off, both Patroclus and Briseis had already boarded the ship. 

“Excited?” Briseis asked, grinning at the newbie on board beside her.

“Oh, thrilled,” Patroclus replied sarcastically. There was more negative than positives when he thought about his time working on the cruise. For one thing, it's over 30 days of traveling. While that would be fun, especially for someone vacationing, Patroclus was part of the staff, whom hardly ever was allowed to disembark. Another thing was the passengers themselves. While a month was not a long time, anyone who can afford to take a month off was usually rich- Patroclus’s least favorite people. “They’re just so pompous and think they can do anything,” Patroclus added, as he continued to discuss his lack of excitement.

“I think you need to just date a rich guy and see what it’s like,” Briseis said, grinning. Patroclus and Briseis have been friends ever since meeting in middle school. After finding out he was gay, which she had already suspected, she has been dying for him to get into a relationship.

“Never going to happen,” Patroclus scoffed. While he was usually self-conscious, his reply this time was closer to his distaste for rich people than for his worry if someone would ever actually want to date him.

By the time they had finished their conversation, it was already nearing late evening. They did not have to do much to prepare, as most of their jobs involved assisting passengers on deck. They strolled around the deck for a little longer, getting an idea of where everything was so they could be prepared. Of course, Patroclus would take any excuse to wander. The ship was decently sized, so it killed some time as they walked around it. By the time they finished, the sun had already finished its course, and the stars began appearing in the night sky. It’s true, there were plenty of negatives Patroclus could think of about working on a cruise ship. However, the beauty surrounding him was a pretty influential positive.

* * *

 Patroclus alarm went off early the next morning, the only sound following were the groans coming from his roommate and himself. Unlike the passengers that would board today, staff rooms were rather small and you almost always had a roommate. Patroclus had not gotten back too late, but by the time he did his roommate had already passed out without introduction.

“Hi. I'm Patroclus,” he introduced himself, his voice strained from the odd hours of sleep he got last night. While they hadn’t left port yet, it was still unusual to sleep on a boat that rocked throughout the night. He reached his hand out to greet the other, who had slowly but surely sat himself up.

“Odysseus," he answered, meeting his hand half way and shaking it. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Patroclus replied. Their light, tired small talk would probably be made up later when they wouldn't be so exhausted. In a matter of minutes they were both up and getting ready for the day. They changed, not really caring that the other was there in the small room, and headed out to start their day. Breakfast was a small, simple meal for staff members, nothing like the extravagant meals that the passengers would enjoy. Patroclus sat by Briseis who he found quite easily.

“Honestly, what is this?” he asked, his attention directed at the food on his stray.

“Fuel,” she replied, and she wasn’t wrong. While the food was not that disastrous, it was not the best. Still, they needed the energy to work long hours throughout the day. They took as much time as they could to eat, which was never enough time. A bell rang in the large break room, reminding Patroclus of his dreadful High School years, alerting them that it was both time to work and that passengers were beginning to board. For Patroclus and Briseis, these were one in the same.

It was no surprise that the first day would be the most hectic, especially for Patroclus’s job. While his job was to basically clean messes around the deck, including the towels that would be thrown at, not just to, him as he passed by passengers at the pool, he would also have to guide people throughout the ship, a chaotic experience had he not already took his time to know each deck. Still, his day was nowhere close to a breeze. _Where are the bathrooms?_ _Where is my room? Can I bring my pets to the dining rooms?_ Countless questions attacked him, but he countered them with proper, accurate answers. The only solace he had was the fact that as the days went by, there would probably be less questions. _Probably_.

* * *

 Day two of the Royal Phithia, long after the ship left port, had fewer questions for Patroclus but way more help needed along the upper deck. Throughout the day, Patroclus found that much of his duties consisted of things an adolescent could be found doing to rack up cash during his childhood. This included walking the many dogs that passengers brought on board, sweeping the floors both in both interior and exterior deck areas, and taking care of the pool towels which he would be assaulted with as a passenger was no longer in need of one (the last two were specific to Patroclus’s childhood, when he used to work at an indoor/outdoor pool.) It was safe to say that he was not very welcoming to the memories that came back to him. During a check around the pool areas to make sure it was clean as can be, someone had thrown a towel that fell directly on to Patroclus’s head. “Thanks,” he said sarcastically, remembering how similar these passengers were to those at his old work. While Patroclus was all about nostalgia, these were the moments he could go without. He did have a basket that the towels were meant to be thrown in; he just had to tell himself that sometimes the passengers had bad aim. He grabbed the towel and through it aggressively into his mobile basket that he pulled around. If he had to be pissed, he definitely did not want it to be directed at a passenger, no matter how much they might have deserved it.

Finally, after an hour of pool duty, it was around time for his break. He leaned against the railing on the starboard side. It was less populated there, for the moment, which gave Patroclus some relief. He felt the breeze rush passed his neck. He closed his eyes and tried to forget about all his problems that have come up since working on the cruise. It was only the second day, and yet countless people have gotten on his nerve. _Rich people._ He thought to himself as he rolled his eyes. _I would never get use to them._

It was around then that a boy came running passed him. Although he was quick on his feet, Patroclus could make out that he was probably around his age. A dog chased after him gleefully, no doubt that the boy was its owner. Patroclus looked back to the boy for a moment, who had begun running backwards with his body facing the dog, along with Patroclus himself. He couldn’t help but notice the muscles around his body, how each fit perfectly to the other. The boy was wearing a loose tank top, which only defined his muscles even more so. For a moment, the boy’s green eyes met his. Patroclus quickly turned away, his face red with embarrassment. He had always tried to be subtle when looking at people, but when he saw the blonde haired boy running passed him, he couldn’t stop himself from staring. He didn’t dare to look again, in fear of being creepy. He stared at his work shoes for many moments, and when he looked up again, to Patroclus’s relief, the boy was gone.

* * *

 

“You didn’t say anything??” Briseis asked during dinner at the staff break room. It was around an hour since the incident happened, but it was still ripe in his mind as if it had happened moments before.

“What was I supposed to say?? Hi person-I-don’t-know-at-all, you look attractive,” Patroclus replied, knowing full well he could never say something like that.

“Maybe ‘hello,’ for starters,” Briseis back fired, and she would have a point if it were anyone else. For Patroclus, talking to strangers, especially very attractive god-like ones, was near to impossible.

“Oh, believe me, I could’ve tried to say hello. Knowing me, had I tried, I would have most definitely blurted out some sort of gibberish.” He thought about how perfect the boy was, from his beautiful blond locks of hair, to the forest green eyes that Patroclus could drown in for hours. “You should have seen him. He was basically like a god,” Patroclus explained, having a hard time not thinking about him. At this point they had already placed their food trays in the appropriate bin and were off to walk on the upper decks. 

“Well, it’s not the first time you’ve gawked at a guy for being ‘god-like,’” Briseis said, giggling over past memories of Patroclus’s High School crushes. 

“This is different. This guy is on entirely different level,” He couldn’t get the guy out of his hand, and what made it worse was that Patroclus could not act on it. He was never good at talking to guys he’s found attractive. The closest he ever got was when he gained enough courage to walk over to his crush of then during lunch at his high school cafeteria. That is, he had the courage until he accidentally tripped on nothing and fell on his food tray. High school Patroclus had no attention of sticking and had proceeded to run as far away from everyone, especially the crush, to further avoid any more embarrassment.

“What does he look like again?” She asked, and he could not tell if she had actually forgotten, a concept not known to Patroclus, or if she wanted to further the blush that probably was conjuring on his face.

“Where do I even begin?” He sighs, and all of the features come to his head at once. “Well, his hair is blo-“He wasn’t directly interrupted by anyone, since the only person close enough was Briseis. What stopped him in his tracks were those blond locks that he saw in the distance. The god-like boy was resting against the railing, watching the sun slowly descend onto the sea. They weren’t that close to him, but they weren’t exactly far either. Neither could hear a conversation being had with the other, but if one called loudly enough, they would definitely catch the other’s attention. Unfortunately, for Patroclus’s sake, Briseis knew this. She proceeded to whistle, and not just any humming to a song whistle, no; she whistled directly at the guy, like a construction guy would to an attractive passerby. Of course, the blonde guy turned to our direction. Who wouldn’t turn after hearing a note clearly directed at you? Before Briseis had a chance to wave and call him over, Patroclus yanked on her sleeve and bolted, with her following closely.

After running for longer than necessary, Patroclus slid down against a wall and sat on the ground. Briseis giggled as she sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He sighed, shaking his head at his friend beside him. After a few moments of silence, he decided to speak up. “Why?” He asked, his tone annoyed from the recent events yet exhausted from how he reacted to them.

“If it weren’t for me, you might never talk to a guy,” She said, and it was hard for Patroclus to argue with that.

“I’m still nowhere close to talking to him,” He began to say, following a moment of silence, “Also, I’m not going to talk to him,” He finished, the only answer received being a sigh from Briseis. In Patroclus’s point of view, this only made things worse. He clearly made a fool of himself running off franticly, but had he stayed, he knew he would somehow make a fool of himself anyway. “He probably thinks I’m crazy,” He sighed, now leaning his head against her rested one.

“You don’t know that, and I really doubt it. You’re an amazing person, Patroclus.” She said, looking up to him reassuringly. Despite all of the ways Briseis could embarrass him, Patroclus was really happy to have her as a friend. Following a much needed hug, Briseis got up and reached her hand out to help Patroclus up. They both walked over to the railing and leaned against it. After another moment of silence, which Patroclus always appreciated, Briseis grinned at him. “We do know one thing though,” She said to him confidently.

“What’s that?” He asked as he looked out at the horizon.

“He was smiling at you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Let me know if you like it, or if you have any advice.
> 
> P.S. I get that he could have been smiling at Briseis, but i'm imagining that even if he was, Briseis would say other wise.
> 
> P.S.S Achilles was definitely smiling at Patroclus.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patroclus finally meets Achilles, but probably not under the circumstances that he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. I know, it was pretty soon. I'm still on break before university starts again at the end of the month, so I have a lot of time. I'll still post during the semester, but it won't be as quickly. Enjoy it while it lasts! 
> 
> I had fun writing this chapter, and I hope you have as much fun reading it! 
> 
> Matt out.

         It had been a week since the incident with Briseis’s cat calling the blonde guy, and Patroclus couldn’t help but have mixed feelings for this. For one thing, this was the best way for him not to embarrass himself. On the other hand, Patroclus almost took extra rounds on deck or hung around just a bit more, in hopes to see the blonde guy once more. He couldn’t help it- it was like a whole other part of him was fighting to get glances of this god-like person. Still, by each night, he was relieved it was one more without embarrassing himself. He chuckled, thinking he should create a “it’s been ____ many days since he’s embarrassed himself,” chart. It sure would keep things interesting.

        While his schedule and jobs on deck tended to stay the same, it was not unlikely for him to take other duties when it became necessary. Whether it was a staff member calling out sick (surprisingly this occurred more often than Patroclus thought it could when they were all stuck on a cruise line,) or a _very_ busy day, he knew that cleaning and helping passengers was only the basis of his staff requirements. He would see this upfront when during an evening at sea, he received a text message from Briseis.

** Briseis (5:15pm) **

Hey! Could you cover my dinner shift? <3

** Patroclus (5:23) **

Ugh. Do I have to?

** Briseis (5:25) **

Only if you love me. <3 <3

** Patroclus (5:26) **

You owe me lol.

            Covering the dinner shift, or any shift involved with dining, was probably Patroclus’s least favorite. He had experience with waiting tables during his adolescence, and he hated every moment of it. Something about the crappy tips left for him and the countless bad attitudes people had just did not appeal to him. Now having to serve rich people, he dreaded the moments as he walked towards the dining halls. He was hoping it wouldn’t be too easy to switch jobs with another staff member, but when he came up to the dining manager, all he seemed to care about was that someone was covering the shift. His attitude was so melodramatic, Patroclus wondered if he would even remember that he was taking the shift.

            To Patroclus’s surprise, much of the dining shift went smoothly. The passengers either did not care and simply ordered, or were actually pretty nice and, to no one’s surprise, gave pretty decent tips. The shift was going by pretty quick, and before he knew it, he was on the last half hour. _30 more minutes and I’ll never have to do this again._ What could possibly go wrong?

            Apparently, a lot of things.

            “Patroclus, take table 6. The place seems pretty empty but the family just got here,” the manager said, and Patroclus found no problem with this.

            That is, no problem until he saw who was sitting at the table. None other but the blonde hunk himself, along with what looked like his parents. Patroclus took a deep breath, and slowly walked over. He tried to calm himself. _For once in your life, don’t embarrass yourself._ When he was half way, the blonde looked up at him and gave a charming smile. Patroclus immediately looked down, but hoped to god his face didn’t turn red. By the time he reached the table, his gaze was directed at his pad, glancing for only quick moments to seem polite. “Hi, I’m Patroclus, and I’ll be serving you tonight,” he said. Words. He somehow was able to produce words and proper sentences, even in front of someone so attractive. “What can I star-“he was interrupted by one of the passengers, causing him to glance up and hold it longer than he would have wished.

            “I’m Achilles,” the blonde said, grinning at his waiter. It wasn’t very normal for a customer to give their name back at a restaurant, so Patroclus was rather thrown off by this. He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

            “Um H-hi,” and he could tell that Achilles could tell he was rather nervous. Somehow, he noticed Achilles grin grow even more. For a moment there was silence, as if the attention was simply between the two of them, with no one else in the room. He returned to reality, realizing that wasn’t the case. “Yes, um. What can I start you guys off with?” The parents didn’t seem to notice at all, captured in their own conversations as if not realizing he was there. Thankfully, they gave their answers, with out having even glanced up at Patroclus. Achilles, however, hadn’t left his gaze. Patroclus glanced over at his green eyes, and he could tell how confident Achilles was. He looked down again, still waiting for his answer. _If only I was as confident as he is._ Eventually he gave his answer and Patroclus jotted it down. He scurried off back to the kitchens, not daring to look back. The rest of the trips seemed to go fine, since Patroclus didn’t have to talk to them. The only thing that caught his attention, besides the beautiful Achilles who he tried his hardest to ignore, was the elaborate (and expensive) food that he was serving them. _I don’t even want to know the prices on these things_.

            By the time they asked for their checks, they didn’t seem alarmed at all by payment. They were rich, anyway. Yes, everything was going fine, much to Patroclus’s surprise. That is, until he reached for the checks. The last thing he would have hoped to happen, happened. He accidentally tipped the check over, which was standing up on its own to alert him that it was ready for retrieving, which somehow sent a glass of water over, spilling right onto Achilles pants. Patroclus’s eyes widened, and quickly retrieved a napkin to clean the mess. He was on his knees, right next to Achilles, when he saw him smirk. It was like Achilles wanted this to happen. Patroclus’s face went red. “I’ll be right back,” He said, scurrying off. He never came back.

            An hour later, Briseis was on the floor, crying from laughter. He had just told her the whole story, detail by detail. “It’s not funny. This is high school all over again, except a thousand times worse!” He said as he paced across her room. He had never been this embarrassed in his entire life. Embarrassing high school moments seemed like nothing in comparison.

           “Hey, this is progress, Pat! You got him wet,” She exploded with more fits of laughter, and Patroclus went red.

           “I hate you,” He said, but couldn’t help but chuckle at her comment. It was clever, but it didn’t make up for the fact of how embarrassed he was.

           “Love you too,” She said as she winked. Sometimes Briseis could be a lot, but she was right. No matter how annoyed he was at her at any given time, he loved her to death. “I just can’t believe you ran off! The manager had to literally finish your job.” She said, and Patroclus eyes widened. Would his job be affected by this? “I’ll talk to him, though. Either way, you shouldn’t have to worry about losing a job or anything. Patroclus could not believe how calm she was, but her reassurance did ease his worries.

           “Alright, so now that my job is secure, all I need to do is avoid Achilles for the rest of the month. Shouldn’t be too hard,” He said, but his voice was anything but confident.

           By the time he got back to his room, he was ready for the day to be over. “Heard you had an accident with a passenger,” his roommate, Odysseus, said.

           “Who told you?” Though when he really thought about it, word probably got around fast when they were on a cruise ship. It was big, but it wasn’t that big.

           “Briseis,” he still answered, and Patroclus shook his head. He could scream, but he would never do that, especially in small courters. He lied down on his bed and closed his eyes. _Maybe it all will pass by tomorrow._ He thought for a moment and then chuckled. _Yeah, right._

    

* * *

           By the end of the week, he still hadn’t seen Achilles since the incident. For Patroclus, this was both a blessing and a curse. For one thing, he knew that if they ever wound up in a conversation together, it wouldn’t take long for Patroclus to make an utter fool out of himself. On the other hand, he couldn’t ignore the fact that he loved seeing Achilles, and how beautiful he. Constant thoughts of being with this guy went through his head, and he often had to talk himself back to reality. _He is too perfect to notice a guy like me,_ was a common thought inside his head. How could he though? How could a guy, who was like a god, even notice a guy like Patroclus? Besides the embarrassment he put himself through, Patroclus could not imagine someone like Achilles ever being in the same conversation as him, let alone having him in his life. His answer was that he probably wouldn’t, and Patroclus would have to live with that. Briseis might have said he was smiling at him, but that did not make it true. Hell, he could have easily been smiling at her; she is extremely beautiful, anyway.

            By the next week they had already docked at a few stops. Unfortunately, for both Patroclus and many of the other staff members, they were not allowed to depart from the ship; something that truly bothered Patroclus, especially as he watched the passengers disembark into sites that bled beauty and excitement. Unlike the passengers, days when the ship docked were simply days for the staff members to clean the place to perfection. Patroclus sighed as he walked down one of the upper decks, mop and bucket in hand. He cleaned the floors for what felt like hours. The only good thing about these days was that it was just staff members on board. No privileged rich people to bother him or ask stupid questions. The thought made him so happy that he began to dance, mop still swinging around on his hand. No one seemed to be around, so Patroclus felt the comfort that he wouldn’t embarrass himself, again.  

            The comfort ended quickly when, as he was dancing by a corner, someone had made a quick turn and proceeded to run right into him. The mop had fallen to the floor, but not before it got most of each party’s clothing significantly wet. Patroclus’s face went red as he quickly picked up the mop and looked up to victim of his cleaning supplies.

            “Somehow, we keep meeting like this,” the other person said as Patroclus looked up at him.

            Throughout his life, Patroclus often thought he was unlucky. It often felt like the world was playing games with him; as if the world was causing the events of his embarrassment. This was one of those times. _Oh, this is just not fair,_ he thought to himself; because it was not just any person that ran into him. It was Achilles. If Patroclus’s face wasn’t red before, it was definitely red now. “I-I..” He couldn’t get the words out. He had a hard time even looking at the guy, despite the fact that his green eyes could capture him in a second. “I’m sorry,” He managed to say, looking down at his shoes. The only thing he heard then was a chuckle from the guy before him. Patroclus knew it, he had once again made an embarrassment out of himself.

            “It’s okay. It was my fault, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Achilles said. Patroclus was stunned. He didn’t think this guy could get any better, and now he knew that he owned the voice of an angel. Achilles had spoken before, but now Patroclus truly registered it. Achilles cocked his head, waiting for a response to continue the conversation. Patroclus realized he was still looking down at his feet. He made the bold decision to slowly meet his eyes, only to see that he was smiling at him. Patroclus, still red with embarrassment, smiled back politely.

            “Well, I probably sh-“Patroclus planned exit was interrupted by the angelic voice once again.

            “Patroclus, right?” The way he said it made Patroclus practically melt. _Pat-ro-clus,_ like the rhythm of a skipping stone against the bed of a lake. Achilles was still smiling at Patroclus, but he dared not keep his gaze. The sun was shining against Achilles’s skin, making the features Patroclus had noted before only more beautiful. He stared at Patroclus, who took a moment before realizing that he had asked him a question.

            “O-Oh, right,” Patroclus said, taking a deep breath. “You’re right, I mean. That’s me,” and somehow he still hasn’t blurted out any gibberish.

            “Patroclus, eh?” He was still smiling, and Patroclus did not know how to react. “I like it.” He grinned, reaching a hand out to greet him. After a moment, Patroclus gave a shy smile and took his hand, shaking it. For a moment, they held each other’s gaze, both smiling. Patroclus, being awkward with new people, finally broke it.

            “I-I should probably get back to work,” Patroclus said, and he swore he saw Achilles frown. It was quickly replaced, however, with a confident smile.

            “Right, of course! I won’t distract you anymore!” He said, grinning. Patroclus smiled back, but then realized he had still splashed them both with water. He gestured toward the water stains, but Achilles brushed it off. “It’s only water,” He said. “I’ll see you again, Patroclus,” There it was again, his name but through Achilles voice. He could get used to it.

             “O-oh right. Bye!” He said, and before he turned he saw it. Achilles winked at him and proceeded to head off to god knows where.

* * *

 

             “It’s true love! My baby is all grown up,” Briseis proclaimed as she spun Patroclus around. Patroclus gently pushed her off, rolling his eyes.

“No it’s not, he’s not even interested in me. He’s just..” but he had to take a moment to even explain the winking and the smirking. “I don’t know, he’s probably like that with everyone.” He explains, but was not entirely convinced of himself.

             “I don’t know, man,” Odyessus said, who was also hanging out with them in their room. “It sounds like this guy likes you,” Briseis followed with kissing sounds and Patroclus could do nothing but roll his eyes again. He couldn’t argue with them, but he wasn’t going to let them win either. “We’ll see,” He said, and he couldn’t help but smile a little about the whole thing.

             Every day since, Patroclus found himself running into Achilles. The strange part was, he was not even intending to. He made no extra turns nor took longer times on his rounds on the upper decks. It was almost like Achilles was trying to see him. Patroclus shook his head. _That’s impossible. What could he see in me?_ But still, Achilles kept popping up, always with the same charming grin. He even thought he saw the same winks, but he brushed it off. Achilles hasn’t tried to talk to him, so it was probably nothing. Still, every time he did see Achilles, he prayed he would come over to talk to him.

             One evening, he was sitting on one of the chairs on the upper decks, watching the sun set on the horizon. It was beautiful, yes, but his mind was elsewhere. Achilles hadn’t talk to him. He probably imagined everything. He sighed, resting his head on his hands. _Maybe Briseis is right. Maybe I should go to him._ Lucky for him, he would not have to.

             “Hey, Patroclus,” Achilles familiar voice said, and Patroclus could not help but smile. 


End file.
